A youth charged with nine offences of sexual assault and rape of two young girls, allegedly committed when he was a teenager, yesterday secured a High Court stay on his prosecution pending the outcome of a judicial review.
Mr Justice Geoghegan granted leave to the now 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to seek an order prohibiting the DPP from taking further steps in his prosecution.
Applying for leave, Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, said that following the alleged offences the boy and his family had had to leave the State and move to England. The boy had pursued a course in England in the intervening years and had decided on a career. His client had been denied a right to a trial with due expedition and had been prejudiced by the delay, which was the fault of the prosecuting authorities.